Friday, September 28, 2012

sorry - it has been a while since i posted, a LOT longer than kymber's one week ;-) kymber got her prize in the mail yesterday from sandy's giveaway... lucky me.... kymber has won two things since we moved here.. a chainsaw and a hunting knife - LOL! i think i had better get on some cooking sites and win a food processor and some nice kitchen knives ;-))

looks super - i lucked out, i don't have a pocket knife, this CRKT Pazoda Folding Knife is perfect, the Eat'N Tool is pretty cool too!.....thanks Sandy you are awesome!!! and we will get great use out of this prize!

so in the basement @ the manor, we have a jet pump and plumbing of sorts... the way it was "installed" is a constant source of aggravation... here is part one one of a "i fixed the &*%*%&8 thing" post. this is the previous setup, note the homemade berkey bucket - heh heh !

i had wrapped tape around the pipe on top of the pump to patch a leak:

decent bladder:

old hose at the bottom though:

i bought this 4-way splitter at crappy tire to use the only tap in the basement... left to right:

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

it really has been a week since i last posted! that's just crazy! but understandable given the circumstances! a week ago the cord for my camera went belly-up and i have a really hard time writing posts without at least 9,746 pics to add - bahahahahah! but then came the equinox...and my female monthly stuff....and for the last few days i haven't even been able to get off the couch. sorry if that is TMI, Duke, my dear buddy!

so here is a beautiful sky pic for my sis Helga...i think she may be in withdrawals - bahahahahah! sorry sis!

so when you are feeling like crap and have a migraine for days - you eat. at least that's what i do. and this is what i eat - peanut butter toast - oh yer darn tootins' baby!

i ate this whole container of croutons, by myself, in one evening. i should be ashamed but i am not! while i lay on the couch moaning and groaning, with jambaloney constantly running to refill my water glass (that man is a saint. and a gorgeous one at that!), i snacked and watched my favourite show:

i looooooove Hell's Kitchen. when we left the city, we had only seen up to season 4. then we were here on the island for over a year without tv. then we got netflix. netflix only had seasons 1 -3. no matter. we re-watched them all (much to the chagrin of poor, bored jambaloney). but then he ordered me seasons 5, 6, and 7. we have already watched 6 and 7. hopefully today, because he went to town, we will get season 5. i don't care if i have to watch them out of order. i just love watching that show!

even though i haven't been feeling well, we still eat some good and proper meals. again, i can't stress enough - make sure to include raw food, fermented food and cooked food in every meal! here is some delicious kafta-like hamburger patties (filled with herbs and grilled on the bbq), pita, hummus, couscous, rice, fermented beets and daikon radish.

not the breakfast of champions (which is fresh trouts and sprouts), but close to it - grandma's fluffy pancakes with fresh blackberries and jambaloney's step-dad's awesome maple syrup - yummeh!

how about some delicious caesar salad with real bacon, parmesan, shrimp, and home-made dressing and croutons? oh this salad was to die for. we split it into 2 plates and both of us ate every last bit! and had some more for snack later - deevine!

here's a beautiful sunset for my sis Helga...hope you like it sis. i also hope my other friends like it - you know who you are!

and then there's comfort food when you are feeling a little under the weather. how about some good 'ol british bangers and mash?

sausages, mashed potatoes and gravy (my absolute favourite food in the world!), some turmeric stir-fried cabbage, some fermented beets and daikon radish...and some kimchi. i loves me some kimchi!

here's a little maniac hawk who's been hanging around for over a week now...he thinks our yard is a buffet! jambaloney chases him off whenever he shows up and we have been wondering about his particular "catching" skills as hawks kill other birds in the air to feed. this guy seemed pretty dumb as he kind of swooped around the yard but really wasn't catching anything (not in the yard - thank goodness. i know that he needs to eat - i just don't want him eating a fresh kill in front of me!). but apparently, small hawks like merlins and kestrals like to sometimes just play around, swooping in on birds with no intent to kill, just practicing and/or working out. hmmm....oh well. as long as he doesn't eat any of the birds that come here regularly, i am fine with him using our yard as a treadmill.

next up....some fermented food that we like to eat. beets and garlic, beets and ginger, carrots and ginger, radishes, and cucumbers with dill and garlic.

wild fermented food is incredibly good for you...do a search on google to learn more. we have been incorporating more and more fermented food in our diets. and it's a great way to preserve food if your garden isn't harvesting enough to can. we love fermented food.

lastly...and this is a bit of an ick. every now and again when it rains alot, we get an oily residue in our small trenches in the back yard. here is where it always starts:

it starts at a trench that is kind of in the middle of our backyard. it is filmy and floats on top, it doesn't smell like anything though.

here's another pic further down the small trench:

does anyone have any idea what this could be? we are terrified to do any searches on the internet...simply because we are terrified that the previous owner might have buried an oil drum or something? does that make sense? would anyone do that? and for what reason?

as i said, it doesn't smell like anything but it is a definite oily film....any ideas?

anyway - sorry to have been offline for so long. i hope that all of you are well...and give me a day or two to catch up on all of your most recent posts!

Monday, September 17, 2012

happy 1 yr anniversary Framboise Manor blog! i can't believe it's been a year??? our actual blog-iversary was on September 14. the only reason i remembered is because the jack for my phone just stopped working. how can i put up a post without my pictures?!?!?!? so i thought i would dig through some old pictures from this day last year to post instead. that's when i remembered that we started the blog last september....neat.

anyway - this is what we had for breakfast on September 17 last year - eggs over easy on roasted potatoes - yummeh! of course there was also toast, just for some reason it wasn't on the plate. i love dippy eggs!!! i dip my toast and my potatoes in them!

here is our lunch that day, down at the river suntanning. bologna sandwiches - yummeh! we don't eat balogna sandwiches often, but we love them and consider them a junk food treat! plums, watermelon, steamed broccoli and a can of cold beans. we consider canned beans to be junk food too - and we always have them with bologna sandwiches. it's the framboise manor version of a big mac and fries - teehee!

my man had spent several days trying to build us an attic for storage. he worked his butt off. he looks so tired in the pic below. tired but always has a smile. he hates having his pic taken tho.

he cleaned up real good the next day!!! we had to go and serve at the yearly ham and salad supper at our community centre.

so a big thank you to all who stop by and leave comments. we started this blog just to be able to record our days and the projects that we worked on and whatnot. just a place to document our journey from the big city to this tiny community in the most beautiful place in the world, Cape Breton Island. the fact that we have made such good friends with people millions of miles away from us through this little blog is astounding. i am so glad that we started this blog - i wouldn't have met you all without it.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

"Sunflower, good morning, you sure do make it like a sunny day" - courtesy of Glen Campbell! i sing this song every time i go out in the front yard and see the sunflowers!

this a volunteer sunflower - volunteer meaning that a squirrel buried a sunflower seed here - we have a pile of them all over the yard. no matter tho - we love them and we allow the squirrels to plant the flowers where they would like to see them, too!

this sunflower is for my sis, Helga, in place of a sky pic. this way i could take a pic of the sun for her instead!

if anyone is hungry - STOP READING. there's a ton of food pics that we have been gorging on for the past few days coming up!

first up - chicken parmigiana! on top of pasta with radish kimchi and raw radish - yummeh!

we've been on a chicken kick this week - so of course, next up would be chicken satay with herbed rice, peanut sauce, carrot, raisin, mint and ginger salad, and fermented beets and daikon radish! sorry for the blurry picture!

there's always leftovers, so with the chicken satay, we had couscous tabouleh and hummus - fresh made of course!

and hey - check this out: my very good buddy North asked me for my bulgogi recipe. of course i sent it to him. he followed all of the instructions - like marinating the meat for 72hrs - and then he and his wife had a delicious meal. see for yourselves:

i love it that he sent me a pic. i also love that serving platter! he said that his wife even went back for seconds - bahahahahahah! oh that one made me and jambaloney laugh!

thanks for sending the pic, North buddy!

next up - little mushrooms. i love mushrooms. they are indicators of faeries. you didn't know that? yep, they darn tootins' are indicators of faerie activity in your yard. that's why i love them! here's a cluster of them.

and here's up close...so beautiful!

beautiful? did someone say beautiful? is there anything more beautiful than this:

that's 10 and a half litres of home-made stock. yummeh. i used to make vegetable stock, chicken stock, beef stock and fish stock. then i asked myself - "why?"!!! now i save all of my veggie pieces, chicken and beef bones and make "stock". and then with fish bones and shells i make fish stock. fish stock is very good for you...especially for weak bones and cartillage. also for arthritic joints and muscles. and you can hide fish stock in anything.

a sunset for my sister.

and lookee here:

that's volunteer Jerusalem artichokes! woohoo! the previous owner must have had some growing here years ago. this is the first year that we have noticed them. but i am super happy to find things growing that i didn't plant!!!

here's some lovely musk mallow blowing in the breeze - you can use the leaves and petals in salads or soups. the seeds are also delicious!

and last but not least - yaaaaay for me- i got a potatoe fruit! and you just know that i am going to dry all of the seeds and try growing potatoes from seed next year! wish me luck!

we are experiencing our Indian Summer here...the weather has been beautiful so many afternoons will be spent at the river. tomorrow is supposed to be exceptionally gorgeous so we will be at the beach. i promise to take many beach pictures to bore you all to death with. your welcome!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

I am certain that everyone remembers where they were on September 11,
2001...that tragic day will forever live on in our hearts. There was so much terror, panic and fear for many people...and some people will carry scars forever.

But there
was much beauty and love found on that day...in a place that most people have never heard about. That place is on an island to the north of my island in Gander, Newfoundland. And it was there that beauty, love
and generous hospitality flourished on such a horrible day.

Gander,
Newfoundland is a town of 10,000 people and is situated at the
easternmost edge of North America. The Gander International Airport was a
refueling stop on early transatlantic flights of the 1940's and 1950's.
But the advent of long-haul jets in the 1960's ended its life as an
aviation hub. The Gander International Airport still has a big runway,
but big jets touch down there much less often now.

All
of that changed quickly and suddenly on September 11, 2001. In the
space of only 3 hours, the Gander International airport landed 39 jets
carrying 6,600 passengers from all over the world. With such short notice, a major city would be hard-pressed to shelter and house that number of people. But Gander, one of Canada's poorest provinces, housed and fed all of the 6,600 passengers for
four days! The people of Gander, and the people from nearby towns, provided food, shelter and in some instances, clothing, to all of those scared passengers who did not know when they would be able to finish their flights. Many of the passengers were Americans who must have been terrified and worried for their families back home.

Many international passengers were surprised
at the level of generosity and hospitality that was shown to them by the people of Gander. But for
most Canadians - we were not surprised at all - Newfoundland/Labrador
is known as a place of great generosity and hospitality, and the people
there have huge hearts.

Letters, cards, e-mails and gifts are
still pouring in to the town of Gander and the Gander International
Airport from passengers expressing their great thanks. And even though
the town did all that they could without ever expecting anything in
return, their grateful guests even donated over $60,000 to the town.
************

(i don't usually do copy and paste posts but i felt that this article needed to be shared. the article marked the 10yr anniversary of 9/11 last year, but i think it is fitting to be reminded on this anniversary.)

Gander on 9/11 told 'you were the best of us'

U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson paid tribute to the town of Gander,
N.L. for its generosity on 9/11, hailing its residents for their grace
and good humour and representing "the best of us."

Jacobson was a key speaker at the memorial ceremony held at the
town's hockey rink, where two steel girders from the World Trade Center
were presented by a New York City firefighter to thank the town for its
hospitality toward stranded air travellers on Sept. 11, 2001. The
girders will remain in the town's aviation museum.

With a tremor in his voice, Jacobson reminisced about the tireless
efforts of all the town's residents and surrounding communities during
that day 10 years ago, and the days that followed.

"This could well be the motto of this town: 'Without waiting to be asked,'" Jacobson said.

He spoke about one stranded passenger, a child, who turned four in
Gander soon after 9/11. All his gifts were stuck on the plane he had
been on, so to make him feel better, a local Gander family threw him a
party.

"They consoled and they cooked, they cooked and they cooked," Jacobson recalled.

Jacobson also thanked the hundreds of Canadians, including those in
Vancouver, Halifax, Montreal and Toronto, who helped thousands of
stranded passengers.

The Gander ceremony began with a group prayer with its mayor, Claude
Elliott, taking the podium first to honour the "beautiful acts of
humanity" that happened on Sept. 11, 2001.

"Good can triumph over evil all the time," said Elliott who was
recently in Washington D.C. to accept an international resiliency award
for town residents. Gander, with a population barely hitting 10,000,
welcomed 6,600 stranded passengers that fateful day.

Elliott told Jacobson that residents didn't need any accolades for their generosity.

'We wanted to do it'

Residents
have been singled out for their tireless efforts in making strangers
feel at home, opening their houses, filling prescriptions without charge
and making sure people felt comfortable bedding down in schools and
church halls.

"We wanted to do it. The smiles of the people who left Gander was
sufficient for us," said Elliott, who ended his speech with a quote:
'What you do for yourself dies with you but what you do for others lives
on.'"

Monica Burke, 44, a 911 dispatcher from Seattle, was one of three
strangers Beulah Cooper, 70, welcomed into her home. Burke told the
audience she has returned to Gander twice since that day, maintaining
close ties with Cooper.

Burke recalled feeling "tired, scared" and breaking down crying when Cooper offered her shelter. "[Beulah] reminded me that kindness and humanity can light even the coldest, darkest night."

'Light in the midst of darkness'

The province's premier, Kathy Dunderdale, said the day helped further define the friendship between Canada and the U.S.

"What binds us are the values of liberty and justice," said
Dunderdale, who exalted town residents for doing what most people in her
province consider "second nature."

"[Gander was] a beacon of light in the dark … [residents] showed the way to hope and humanity in a time of death and despair."

Federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews also thanked the people of
the area for the example they set: "Places like Gander … galvanized our
resolve to be light in the midst of darkness."

And in a statement released later Sunday, Defence Minister Peter
MacKay asked Canadians to remember not just those who lost their lives
in the attacks, but also " those who sacrificed in the years since."
"Canada's soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen faced the threats that
challenged the security of our nation, accepted the fears of their
compatriots, marched to the front lines of one of the most dangerous
places on Earth and fought to defend the ideals and values that shaped
Canada and made this country great. … On behalf of all Canadians, I
thank the members of the Canadian Forces for their service, sacrifice
and selflessness."

In between speeches, the white-clad Gander Academy Grade 2 sang songs. The three-hour ceremony wrapped up with The Last Post.

'Incredible acts of courage'

Elsewhere,
Prime Minister Stephen Harper attended the Ground Zero ceremonies in
the U.S. after formally designating Sept. 11 a national day of service,
honouring both the victims and the Canadian communities who aided
stranded travellers 10 years ago.

“While
Canadians share in the grief of all those mourning loved ones lost, we
also honour the incredible acts of courage, sacrifice and kindness by
those who served in the rescue efforts,” Harper said in statement
released Sunday.

The prime minister said Canada would stand with its allies to "help ensure such a tragedy never happens again."

“Terrorism will not undermine our way of life … We will steadfastly
defend, protect and promote our democratic values and principles, the
very foundation of our free and prosperous society.”

Harper met with family members of some of Canada's 24 New York 9/11
victims on Saturday night. On Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama sent a
letter to Harper thanking all Canadians for their support during that
difficult time.

"We remember with gratitude and affection how the people of Canada
offered us the comfort of friendship and extraordinary assistance that
day and in the following days by opening their airports, homes and
hearts to us," Obama wrote.

Plaque for Halifax airport

Several
other communities across Canada had unexpected visitors when U.S. air
space was shut down to all but military aircraft, with about 200 flights
diverted to Canadian airports. Many flights also ended up in Moncton,
N.B., and in Halifax, where 8,000 extra passengers showed up.

U.S. Consul-General Anton Smith presented a plaque to Halifax airport
managers early Sunday to thank employees and residents for their aid.

In Ottawa, an open-air concert "of hope and remembrance" began
precisely at 8:46 a.m., the time when the first plane hit the World
Trade Centre.

Jean Chrétien, who was prime minister when the attacks occurred,
attended the Parliament Hill event along with several hundred others.

After the concert, Chrétien recalled how tens of thousands of
Canadians turned out on Parliament Hill to express their solidarity with
Americans in the days after the terror attacks.

“We had 100,000 people on the Hill," he recalled "And the greatest
moment, when I asked for three minutes of silence, it was probably the
three minutes the most moving of my life to not hear a noise for three
minutes. People praying in their own faith for the American people."

On this September 11, may we remember everything that happened - not just the bad stuff, the deaths, the terror and the panic - but also the love, generosity and humanity that was shown by ordinary people dealing with extraordinary circumstances.

***********

UPDATE BEGINS HERE:

i just received a wonderful comment from a person who was in Gander on that day and who played a pivotal role in taking care of the stranded passengers! to say that i am touched is an understatement...to say that i am honoured that such a heroe would take the time to comment here - well, i am simply blown away.

please see lazydaysnl's comment below...and please go and read their post about being in the thick of providing for all of those stranded passengers here. please leave a comment and thank them for their selflessness...they are the unsung heroes of a tragic happening that through their good works, made many lives easier. please give a standing ovation to lazydaysnl and all of the work that they, and other unsung heroes did during this tragic time.

now if i could just get Stephen to send me the ugly pink walther...you can learn more about it here. but it looks like DFW is getting it - dang nabbit. i love that little gun!!!

in other news, we are being hit by Tropical Storms...and getting lots of rain. that's ok - we love rain and it helps jambaloney dig the trench! he has almost reached the level of the footing at the house and then we never need to worry about the basement ever flooding again - a big woohoo for that!

even tho it's been rainy and grey, that's no reason to not pretend that you live in the caribbean and eat some really delicious food. lunch the other day was chilled avocado soup, with ginger, cinnamon, mint and orange chunks, and deep-fried coconut shrimp with a lime-chili dipping sauce....can you say DEE-VINE??!?!? oh it was so yummy!

here's the obligatory sky pic for my sis Helga...don't thank me guys...you all are very welcome!

time to go and see if the river is still backed up. oh and check out all of the new little things growing around the manor - check out these tiny-tine flowers:

these are what are known as miniature St. John's Wort - they are so tiny!

and a not-so-tiny-big-fat-caterpillar:

this is regular-sized St. John's Wort - the stuff has amazing healing qualities and i dry the flowers to make a lovely healing and soothing tea for during the winter months.

frog, frog, froggie, frog, frog. that's the song i sing as loud as i can whenever i see one of these. i don't care that they are actually toads! i love them and we have tons of them this year.

woohoo! looks like the county backhoes have been out and opened the river's path to the ocean...the river is only a little backed up now...still freakin freezin tho!

after lots of rain i always go looking for mushrooms on our forest floor...check out this beauty:

and this one:

we had a lovely afternoon at the river...and saw a gorgeous osprey:

read our books, lay in the sun, gave thanks for the good fortune that we are living here...and thought of all of our friends!

About Framboise Manor

Framboise Manor is our Bug-Out Location (BOL) that we have been living in since December 2010. As can be seen by the above picture - calling it simply a "Manor" doesn't do it justice - we bet you think it is more like an "Estate", eh?

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Who Are We?

we are jambaloney and kymber. here's a pic of us below...we look very happy and content. it's because we really are!

About jambaloney

(he's only 23 in this pic...he has 20+years of additional muscle now...if you can believe it!)

kymber here and talking about jambaloney.

i've always called him my angel. my rock. my best half. the best part of what i have always wanted to become.

he has a soul as big as the biggest mountain, he is strong, he is in incredible physical condition, he is 51 and yet most people think he is under 40. he is humble and modest, charming, gorgeous and will help anyone with anything at anytime. he never grumbles and only every now and again complains or is a tiny bit cranky (nothing that a hug can't fix!). he can cut both sides out of 70 tires in minutes, build raised beds from scrap wood that he drags out of the forest, weedwhack 800ft of our road down to the river, and haul more wheelbarrows of dirt, mulch, rocks and seaweed than is probably medically-advised. he's learned how to braid, make bread and no one makes better rice - not even the chinese. he supports my every, crazy endevour. he went 44 years without a driver's license and got his license after being trained by my crazily-wonderful french canadian friend in 2 weeks. she never stopped talking the whole time. in french.

he has biked everywhere his entire life, at one job he biked 24km EACH WAY. that's to and from! 24km to work AND 24km from work! oh and just accidentally has an honours degree in philosophy.

i believe that he is Our Lord's most beautiful and perfect creation. but i might be biased. he can very accurately shoot a ben pearson cougar re-curve from both the left and right. and his aim is dead on.

he is bow-legged and only 5'7", but has the most incredible eyes. and a tiny mole on his upper lip. he writes the most romantic "insta-poems". he tells me he loves me several times a day. he calls me "babe" and "honey". and he means it.he loves hot sauce and spicey things like cayenne and banana peppers, he buys (or now picks) me flowers, he left a lucrative, high-paying IT job and his family to follow me here to this remote little island. he builds me shelves and washes all of our laundry with me by hand.

oh and he was baptized Anglican. and was an alter boy. sheesh. somehow, through my intervention, i am turning him into a pagan-christian-fundamentalist-confuscian. look, even i can't figure that out!

the name jambaloney is a nickname that i gave him over 10 years ago. he still uses it. he can be reached at "jambaloney@gmail.com". he loves comments or emails. and he loves me.

if i were given the opportunity to wish one thing for the world - i would wish that every woman on the planet had a jambaloney. i know that i could save the world this way. i have friends who have asked me to clone him. i am trying. believe me, i am trying. one day i will perfect the science involved, and when that happens, i promise all of you a jambaloney.

i love him more than...breathing, lobster, boiled dinner, fresh bread out of the oven, bugging out, singing back up for Madonna (ok...i made that one up!), fresh sheets on the bed, a glass of red wine after a long day, sunflower seeds, lavender, growing my own potatoes, T.S. Eliot, dancing, my babies (who are really just cranky old cats!) and the Bible.

i love him more than i love Framboise Manor. and i really love Framboise Manor.

About kymber

(this pic might seem odd. trust me, it's not. 20 yrs ago kymber went shopping with a girlfriend from the military and bought this dress. then she hooked up with that girlfriend recently. they caught up through email and one day kymberz friend mentioned that specific dress. kymber said she still had it (kymber still has her prom gown for crying out loud!). the friend did not believe it. so we had to take a pic of kymber wearing the 20yr old dress for her friend. kymber always likes to add accessories...and well, we had the bunny ears laying around. ya know, cuz everyone always has pink bunny ears laying around. ok, that's it...i am out of here! jambaloney)

what can i say about kymber?? A LOT!!most of it will have to wait for blog entries ‘cuz i just don’t have enough space here to do her justice…

so i’ll have to do my best… first and foremost, kymber is my partner and i will love her forever. she is the best partner anyone could ever have, i am one lucky guy!! she is 46, she is sweet as can be, smart as a whip, super cute, exceptionally feminine, strong as an ox, honest, kind, empathetic, wise, an amazing dancer, a master wit in speaking and writing….i could go on..i will!

at 5’ 1’’ she packs a wallop – a true force of nature -she is a master gardener and chef and spent 10 years in the Canadian Military – she has done 2 tours of Alert (the north bloody-cold pole). she is a UN-certified Korean linguist and spoils our 2 cats rotten. she also spent 12yrs working in the federal government, as a communications analyst at SolGen (now PSEPC) and Fintrac. she loves nature in the true sense of the phrase..the wildflowers, insects and birds here at framboise manor keep her entranced and captivated for hours.

anyone who is her friend knows that she will stop at nothing to help and heal, dedication and loyalty are an integral part of who she is and she is dead serious about anything she puts her mind to. yet she maintains the most delicate touch and a smile on her face always, never afraid to live and love no matter where and when.

she is the most genuine human being i have ever met! and she has encouraged me to embark on the most crazy and exciting adventure i could imagine… thank you babe - i sooo love you!!!